The sale and use of recreational vehicles has increased dramatically over the last several decades. They are convenient alternatives to passenger cars and hotel rooms. The term "recreational vehicle" (RV) is used to describe any type of occupiable structures adapted to be transported on roads and highways. RV, as used herein, includes motorhomes; mobile manufactured and doublewide homes; travel trailers; fifth-wheels; pop-ups; vans; customized vans; coaches; and bus-like vehicles. Such structures, once a particular destination is reached, may be left in a stationary position and occupied for any period of time.
When a recreational vehicle is located at a stationary place, whether for only a few minutes or for months or years, people, in good weather, typically like to spend some time outside of the recreational vehicle. Frequently, they will lounge about on chairs located directly on the ground near the recreational vehicle. There are, however, times when the weather is inviting enough to spend leisure time outdoors, but the ground conditions are muddy or wet or in similar undesirable conditions. The ground may also have a terrain which is not particularly convenient to locating chairs and other objects on.
Under such circumstances, people may erect patios which have been stored in or on a recreational vehicle. In the past, such patios have been located in various places inside and outside of the recreational vehicle. Such patios have occasionally been located underneath the recreational vehicle mounted on frames secured to the chassis. Such patios have not been particularly popular due to the limitation of the sizes which the patios are manufactured in. The size is typically limited by the space available underneath the vehicle. Another problem has been the complexity and difficulty in erecting the patios, either those which are stowed underneath the vehicle or those which are stowed elsewhere on the vehicle.
The inventor has developed a unique stowable patio which can accommodate almost any recreational vehicle and overcome the limitations of size and complexity of setup. The present invention incorporates a patio which carries rollers that slide on an inclined track secured to the chassis. This allows the patio to be stowed as closely as possible to the bottom of the chassis, preserving ground clearance and preventing accumulation of large particles of road debris between the patio and chassis. The patio may also be in one or more parts, hinged together, which allows the size of the extended patio to be less dependent on the space limitations dictated by the chassis. As will be described below in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, the invention is easy to extend, thereby resulting in greater utility and use.